Canopy windshield retention

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle that includes a windshield and a frame. In addition, the vehicle includes a first pillar that extends from one side of the windshield. The first pillar includes a first wall and a second wall coupled to the first wall. The first pillar also includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion includes a first interior support coupled to the first wall and a second interior support coupled to the second wall. Further, the first interior support includes a first end which is spaced from a second end in the second portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/127,748 filed Dec. 18, 2020, entitled “CANOPY WINDSHIELD RETENTION.”The aforementioned related application is hereby incorporated byreference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is directed to a canopy windshield retentionstructure.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Mass transport vehicles, such as vans and buses, are designed to ferry alarge number of people. Recently, new kinds of mass transport vehicles,such as electric pod taxis, provide a larger volume in a cabincompartment. The larger volume for the cabin compartment is achieved bypushing the upper body architecture boundary in both forward andrearward directions. Such configurations vehicles have smaller front endcrumple zones or crash zones. For instance, the distance between a frontfascia of the vehicle and the cabin compartment may be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a canopy style vehicle having awindshield bounded by vehicle pillars that are configured to crumple orcrush in a controlled manner in the event of a crash. The vehicleincludes a relatively small distance between a front bumper or fasciaand an occupant chamber or cabin.

The vehicle includes a frame with a first pillar and a second pillarthat extends along the sides of the windshield. The first and secondpillars include a portion that is configured to crumple or crush thatrotates the windshield downward in a controlled manner. The pillarsinclude a first interior wall opposite and coupled to a second exteriorwall. The pillars also include a first interior support structure thatis within the first and second walls. The interior support structureincludes a third interior wall adjacent to the first interior wall and afourth exterior wall that is adjacent to the second exterior wall. Atthe portions configured to crumple, the interior support only includesone of the third interior wall or the fourth exterior wall.

The third interior wall is coupled to the first wall and the fourthexterior wall is coupled to the second wall. The first interior supportincludes a first end which is spaced from a second end in the secondportion, i.e. there is a gap in the first interior support in theportion of the pillar that is configured to react in the event of acollision.

In some embodiments, the vehicle includes a canopy windshield and a roofcoupled to the canopy windshield. The pillar along the windshieldincludes a first stiffness zone and a second stiffness zone, such thatthe second stiffness zone is closer to the roof than the first stiffnesszone.

In some embodiments, the vehicle includes a windshield retention beamthat is coupled to a body or the frame by a first side beam and a secondside beam. The first side beam includes a first portion coupled to thewindshield retention beam. The first side beam also includes a secondportion and a third portion, such that the third portion is attached tothe body and the second portion is between the first portion and thethird portion. The third portion, which is positioned between a sidewindow and the ground, includes openings to provide a controlled crushto allow the bottom of the windshield to rotate downward and toward asteering column.

The first portion and the second portion provide different a stiffnessas compared to the third portion. The differences in stiffness mitigatean impact received during a crash.

These and other features, advantages, and objects of the presentinvention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled inthe art by reference to the following specification, claims, andappended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a vehicle according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of the vehicle of FIG. 1A withcrumpled zones illustrated;

FIG. 1C is a side view of the vehicle of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a side view of a pillar according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a side view of a pillar according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3A-3A in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3B-3B in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3C-3C in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a pillar according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of aportion of a pillar;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 7-7 in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a vehicle, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is an enhanced view of a third portion of the first side beam ofFIG. 8 having a plurality of holes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosedembodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognizethat embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In otherinstances, well-known structures or methods associated with vehicleshave not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring descriptions of the embodiments.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a front portion 102 of a vehicle 100. FIG. 1C is aside view of the front portion 102 of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100can be a mass transporter, such as a van or a bus, which includes alarge passenger or cabin compartment 106 with a drivetrain and othercomponents underneath a floor 104. As a result, the cabin compartment106 abuts a driver's area and a distance between the cabin compartment106 and a front bumper 124 is relatively small. The vehicle 100 includesa frame 108 that forms a body of the vehicle 100, such that the frame108 and the floor 104 define the boundaries of the cabin compartment106.

The vehicle 100 includes a first pillar 110 that extends from one end108 a of the frame 108 toward a windshield 114. A second pillar 112extends from another end 108 b of the frame 108 toward the windshield114. The first pillar 110 and the second pillar 112 are the A-pillars ofthe vehicle 100. The first pillar 110 and the second pillar 112 areconfigured to deform, bend, or otherwise crumple in the event of afrontal crash. Details of how the first pillar 110 and the second pillar112 deform are explained later with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

The first pillar 110 and the second pillar 112 are spaced along a widthof the frame 108 on each side of the windshield 114. The windshield 114maybe a canopy style, where the windshield 114 is supported by the firstand second pillars 110, 112 along a first side 116 a and a second side116 b of the windshield 114. The windshield 114 includes a top portion116 c that is attached to a roof 134 which is supported by the frame108. In addition, the windshield 114 includes a bottom portion 116 dopposite to the top portion 116 c. The vehicle 100 also includes awindshield retention beam 118 that supports the bottom portion 116 d ofthe windshield 114. A manner by which the windshield retention beam 118supports the bottom portion 116 d is explained later with respect toFIG. 7.

The vehicle 100 includes a first side beam 120 a, which is coupled toand positioned below the first pillar 110. The first side beam 120 aextends from a windshield end 110 a of the first pillar 110 at a joint103 on a structural or B-pillar 105 of the frame 108. The first sidebeam 120 a has a first or front portion 122 a that is coupled to thefirst pillar 110 by the windshield. A second or rear portion 122 b iscoupled to the B-pillar 105. The first portion 122 a has a firststiffness while the second portion 122 b has a second stiffness, suchthat the second stiffness is less than the first stiffness. Additionaldetails of the first side beam 120 a and the difference in the firststiffness and the second stiffness are explained with respect to FIG.1C. The vehicle 100 also includes a second side beam 120 b (shown inFIG. 1A) that is coupled to the second pillar 112 and may have a similarstructure to the first side beam 120 a.

Referring now to FIG. 1C, the first side beam 120 a is formed of thefirst portion 122 a that has a front end 123 and a second end 125, suchthat the front end 123 is coupled to the windshield end 110 a. The frontend 123 and the windshield end 110 a are attached, for instance, bywelding or other fastener. In addition, the first side beam 120 aincludes the second portion 122 b that has a first end 129 and a rearend 131. As shown in FIG. 1C, the second end 125 is integrally formedwith the first end 129 while the rear end 131 is coupled to the B-pillar105 at the joint or attachment location 103. The first side beam 120 ais a single beam having these different portions of differentdimensions, stiffness, and other properties to achieve a controlledcrush.

The first end 123 of the first side beam is closer to the roof 134 thanthe second end 125 (the intersection of the second end 125 of the firstportion 122 a and the first end 129 of the second portion 122 b). Anupper edge 155 of the second portion 122 b is closer to the roof 134than the first end 129 of the second portion, such that the secondportion has a curvature.

The rear end 131 is wider than the first end 129 of the second portion.In particular, the rear end 131 has a first dimension 133, which is incontact with the B-pillar 105. The rear end 131 may be welded to theB-pillar 105 to form the joint 103. The first end 129 has a seconddimension 135, which is less than the first dimension 133.

Referring back to FIG. 1A, the first side beam 120 a, the second sidebeam 120 b, the first pillar 110, the second pillar 112, and theB-pillar 105 together define a driver's compartment 107 adjacent to thecabin compartment 106. The vehicle 100 also includes a steering wheel109 inside the driver's compartment 107 proximate to the windshield 114and the first side beam 120 a. The first pillar 110, the B-pillar 105,and the first side beam 120 a form an opening to support a window (notshown in FIG. 1A). Similarly, the second pillar 112, the second sidebeam 120 b, and another B-pillar (not shown in FIG. 1A) form anotheropening to support a passenger side window (not shown in FIG. 1A).

The vehicle 100 also includes a cross member or front bumper 124 that ispositioned below the windshield and the first and second pillars 110,112. The cross member 124 is a component of the vehicle 100 on which afront fascia of the vehicle 100 can be mounted. Additionally, thevehicle 100 includes a pair of front rails 126 a, 126 b that attachesthe cross member 124 to the frame 108. Each of the front rails 126 a,126 b includes a coupling arm 128 a, 128 b, respectively, that couplesthe front rails 126 a, 126 b to the first pillar 110 and the secondpillar 112. During a frontal crash, the received impact at the crossmember 124 is transferred to the first pillar 110, the second pillar112, the first side beam 120 a, and the second side beam 120 b via thefront rails 126 a, 126 b. In the illustrated example, the vehicle 100includes different provisions to mount a wheel. For instance, the frontrails 126 a, 126 b, and the side beams 120 a, 120 b have attachmentlocations to allow mounting of a suspension assembly (not shown) onwhich a wheel hub assembly (not shown) and a wheel (not shown) can bemounted.

The first pillar 110 and the second pillar 112 are designed to crumple,as shown in FIG. 1B, such that the first pillar 110 and the secondpillar 112 undergo a deformation or a controlled crush at locations 157a, 157 b to absorb the impact of the frontal crash. These locations areassociated with one embodiment of a controlled crush location. Each ofthe first and second pillars may include one or more of the controlledcrush locations as beneficial to the vehicle design.

The first pillar 110 and the second pillar 112 may yield at theselocations to absorb the impact to move the front end 123 of the secondbeam towards the B-pillar 105. The first side beam 122 a may also have acontrolled deform to collaboratively move the front end 123 and thebottom portion 116 b of the windshield toward the B-pillar. For example,the second portion 122 b may be configured to crumple in a controlledmanner to further dissipate the energy from a crash. Alternatively, thefirst pillar 110 and the second pillar 112 can yield both at the bentportion and at the portion proximate to the frame 108. The controlleddeformation is related to the first pillar 110 and the second pillar 112having different stiffness zones.

Structural details of the first pillar 110 are now explained withrespect to FIGS. 2A through 3C in conjunction with FIG. 1C. FIG. 2Aillustrates the first pillar 110 with deformation at a bent or crushedsection 161, which is a different location than illustrated in FIG. 1C.FIG. 2B illustrates the first pillar 110 with deformation at a section157 a.

As shown in FIG. 1C, the first pillar 110 has a first wall 130 and asecond wall 132 that extends along a complete length of the first pillar110. The first wall 130 is adjacent to the roof 134 of the vehicle 100while the second wall 132 is spaced from the roof 134 by the first wall130. The first pillar 110 also includes a first portion 136 that iscoupled to and extends from the first portion 122 a of the first sidebeam 120 a and runs along the windshield. In one example, the firstportion 136 forms a first stiffness zone of the first pillar 110.

The first pillar 110 also includes a second portion 138 that extendsfrom the first portion 136 and defines a bent portion of the firstpillar 110. Further, the second portion 138 defines a second stiffnesszone of the first pillar 110. In the illustrated example, the firststiffness zone has a first internal reinforcement and a second internalreinforcement, whereas the second stiffness zone has only the firstreinforcement. Accordingly, the first stiffness zone has a greaterstiffness than the stiffness of the second stiffness zone. Thestructural details that could be implemented to form the firstreinforcement and the second reinforcement are explained with respect toFIGS. 3A-4. The difference in the stiffnesses allows the second portion138 to deform in a controlled manner during the frontal crash.

The first pillar 110 also includes a third portion 140 that extends fromthe second portion 138 to the frame 108. The third portion 140 is asubstantially horizontal section of the first pillar 110 and has a thirdstiffness zone having a stiffness that can be different from thestiffness of the first stiffness zone and the second stiffness zone. Thestiffness of the third stiffness zone may be less than the stiffness ofthe second stiffness zone. As a result, the third portion 140 may deformbefore the second portion 138 in the event of a frontal crash, as shownin FIG. 2B. Alternatively, the third portion may have the same stiffnessas the first portion, including both of the internal reinforcements likethe first portion of the beam.

As mentioned before, a difference in the stiffness of different portionsof the first pillar 110 allows a controlled deformation of the firstpillar 110 to absorb the impact. Since the first pillar 110 undergoesthe controlled deformation, the impact of the frontal crash fromreaching the cabin compartment 106 is mitigated.

Referring again to FIG. 1C, a distance S1 between the cross member 124and the windshield retention beam 118 is relatively small in this styleof vehicle. The different portions and different stiffness zones of thefirst pillar provide an increase in this dimension in the event of acrash. As the first pillar 110 deforms, a size of the front crumple zoneincreases from the distance S1 to a larger distance S2 that extends fromthe cross member 124 to a point where the first pillar 110 deforms.Providing the larger distance allowing absorption of impact to mitigatean impact to the frame 108.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the first portion 136 of the firstpillar 110 taken along lines 3A-3A in FIG. 1A while FIG. 3B is across-sectional view of the second portion 138 taken along lines 3B-3Bin FIG. 1A. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the third portion 140taken along lines 3C-3C in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment. As shownin FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the first wall 130 and the second wall 132 arecoupled together at an upper and lower location. The first wall 130 andthe second wall 132 include a first surface 137 and a second surface 139that are coupled to each other by welding or other fastening technique.Referring to FIG. 3A, the first portion 136 has a rectangularcross-section and includes a first interior support or firstreinforcement 142 that is attached or otherwise coupled to a first innersurface 144 of the first wall 130. In addition, the first portion 136includes a second interior support or second reinforcement 146 that isattached to a second inner surface 148 of the second wall 132. The firstinterior support 142 includes a first end surface 141 and the secondinterior support 146 includes a second end surface 143 that are coupledto each other. The first interior support 142 and the second interiorsupport 146 are attached to the first inner wall 144 and the secondinner wall 148, respectively, by different techniques, such as weldingor stamping. The first interior support 142 and the second interiorsupport 146, provide a first stiffness for the first portion 136.

FIG. 3B includes the second portion 138 having only the first interiorsupport 142 attached to the first inner surface 144. The second interiorsupport 146 is not included in this second portion 138, which creates asecond stiffness in the first pillar 110. Further, the first end surface141 in the second portion 138 is exposed. As a result, second stiffnessof the second portion 138 is less than the first stiffness of the firstportion 136.

FIG. 3C is the third portion 140 of the first pillar 110 which does notinclude either of the first and second internal supports. This creates athird stiffness in the first pillar 100. The third stiffness is lessstiff than the second stiffness. The first pillar may have one or moreof the different stiffness zones as the design of the end vehicle maybenefit. In other embodiments, the first pillar may include only thefirst stiffness and the third stiffness.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the second pillar 112 of FIG. 1Aalong line 4-4. This view shows an exterior wall 163 of the secondpillar that does not include the second internal reinforcement. Thisembodiment could include the first internal reinforcement or may notinclude either reinforcement. The first interior support 142 inside thesecond portion 138 has a portion removed that exposes has a first end154 that is spaced from a second end 156. The surface 141 is coupled tothe other interior support as the surface 137 is coupled to the otherwall of the pillar 112. The stiffness of the second portion 138 islesser than the stiffness of the first portion 136. The third portion140 does not include any interior support inside the third portion 140.Absence of the interior support in the third portion 140 results inlesser stiffness of the third portion 140 than the second portion 138.Therefore, during the impact, the third portion 140 deforms prior to thesecond portion 138, which results in the controlled deformation.

The second portion 138 can have a different profile or structural shape,in addition to the interior supports 144, 148, to achieve controlleddeformation. FIG. 5 illustrates another portion 500 of a first or secondpillar of the vehicle 100 with an accordion-shaped profile. A first wall502 a and a second wall 502 b of the portion 500 has the accordion shapewhich is made up of a plurality of peaks 504 and valleys 506. As thepillar is a substantially rectangular cross-section, the other walls(not shown) will also include the plurality of peaks and valleys.Further, the peaks 504 and the valleys 506 are also present along theedges of the walls 502 a, 502 b. The walls 502 a, 502 b are configuredto compress, such that gaps in-between peaks 504 are reduced. The impactmay cause the portion 500 to bend, for instance, downwards towards theground such that gaps in-between the peaks 504 present on the top sideof the walls 502 a, 502 b increase while gaps in-between peaks 506present on the bottom side of the walls 502 a, 502 b decrease.

In addition to the accordion-shaped profile along the length of thesecond portion, the second portion can have an accordion-shaped internalfeatures. FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another portion600 of a first or second pillar the vehicle 100. The portion 600 has afirst outer wall 602 a and a second outer wall 602 b that each includean exterior surface with a plurality of peaks 606 and valleys 608.Interior surfaces also include a plurality of peaks 604 and valleys 605.Gaps in-between peaks change to absorb an impact. Alternately, in casethe impact causes the portion 600 to bend sideways, then gaps in-betweenthe peaks 606 on a top and bottom part of the portion 600 would change.In either case, the change in the gap absorbs and mitigates the impact.

During a frontal crash, the windshield 114 is susceptible to damage andmay dislodge from the first pillar 110 and the second pillar 112. Inorder to retain the windshield 114, the windshield retention beam 118holds or otherwise restrains the windshield 114. FIG. 7 is across-sectional view of the windshield retention beam 118 taken alongline 7-7 in FIG. 1A. The windshield retention beam 118 includes a firstretention extension 158 and a second retention extension 160 thatdefines a surface 162 of the windshield retention beam 118. The bottomportion 116 d of the windshield 114 is coupled or otherwise attached tothis surface 162. The first retention extension 158 extends over aportion of the windshield 114 and overlaps an exterior side 164 a of thewindshield 114. Moreover, the first retention extension 158 extendstransverse from the windshield retention beam 118. On the other hand,the second retention extension 160 extends over the windshield 114 andoverlaps an interior side 164 b of the windshield 114. The firstretention extension extends further from the surface 162 than the secondretention extension. Since the first retention extension 158 and thesecond retention extension 160 overlap the windshield 114, thewindshield 114 is secured and can rotate with the deformation of thefirst and second pillars while retaining the end 166 d with thewindshield retention beam 118.

According to the present disclosure, other components of the vehicle canalso undergo controlled deformation to absorb the impact. FIG. 8 is aperspective view of another vehicle 800 that includes a frame 801. Theframe 801 includes a first side beam 802 having a first portion 804, asecond portion 806, and a third portion 808. FIG. 9 is an enhanced viewof the third portion 808. Many of the frame components of the vehicle800 are the same as that of the vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 1A. Forinstance, the vehicle 800 includes a body 810 that is structurallysimilar to the frame 108 of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 800 alsoincludes a first pillar 812 and a second pillar (not shown), a canopywindshield 814, and a windshield retention beam 816. The vehicle 800also includes a front bumper 803 that extend from the frame 801.

The first portion 804 of the first side beam 802 is coupled to the firstpillar 812 while the third portion 808 is coupled to the body 810. Thefirst portion 804 has a curvature along an X-axis (shown in FIG. 8) thatextends between the windshield retention beam 816 and the second portion806. The second portion 806 extends between the first portion 804 andthe third portion 808, such that the second portion 806 can transfer theimpact from the first portion 804 to the third portion 808. As with thefirst side beam in FIG. 1A, a location where the first side beam 802couples to the windshield retention beam 816 is closer to a roof than anentirety of the third portion 808.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the third portion 808 has a first end 818 thatis coupled to the body 810 and a second end 820 that is coupled to thesecond portion 806. Further, the first end 818 is attached the body 810,for instance, by welding. As shown in FIG. 9, the first end 818 has awidth 830 from a top edge to a bottom edge and the second end 820 has awidth 832 from a top edge to a bottom edge, such that the width 832 issmaller than the width 830.

The third portion 808 has a rectangular cross-section towards the secondend 820. In addition, the third portion 808 has a taper shaped profiletowards the first end 818. The third portion 808 includes a plurality ofedges 822 a, 822 b, 822 c, collectively referred to as edges 822. Theedges 822 include a plurality of openings 824 that are present along alength of the edges 822 and at corners of bends of the third portion.The plurality of openings 824 allows the third portion 808 to deform inan impact mitigating the impact to the frame 801. These openings allowthe third portion 808 to undergo the controlled deformation.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, ifnecessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications, andpublications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made onthe aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of thepresent invention, and further it is to be understood that such conceptsare intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claimsby their language expressly state otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle, comprising: a canopy windshield; abody; a windshield retention beam; and a first side beam that extendsfrom the windshield retention beam to the body, the first side beamincluding: a first portion coupled to the windshield retention beam; asecond portion; and a third portion coupled to the body, the secondportion between the first portion and the third portion.
 2. The vehicleof claim 1, wherein the third portion of the first side beam includes afirst end coupled to the body and a second end coupled to the secondportion, the second end being smaller in a first direction than thefirst end in the first direction.
 3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein thethird portion includes a plurality of openings at edges of the thirdportion.
 4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the first portion has acurvature from the windshield retention beam to the second portion, thefirst portion having a first end closer to an end of the canopywindshield than a second end in a first direction.
 5. A vehicle,comprising: a windshield; a body; a windshield retention beam; and afirst side beam that extends from the windshield retention beam to thebody, the first side beam including: a first portion coupled to thewindshield retention beam; a second portion; and a third portion coupledto the body, the second portion between the first portion and the thirdportion, wherein the third portion of the first side beam includes afirst end coupled to the body and a second end coupled to the secondportion, the second end being smaller in a first direction than thefirst end in the first direction.
 6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein thethird portion includes a plurality of openings at edges of the thirdportion.
 7. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the first portion has acurvature from the windshield retention beam to the second portion, thefirst portion having a first end closer to an end of the windshield thana second end in a first direction.